The view of the two liars fornicating against my old locker faded from my sight. Soon the bright daylight consumed me, blinding me momentarily.

"You can be upset, angry, whatever you want, Evelyn."

We were leaning against the brick wall of the new wing.

The gardens were still pristine. It appeared as if no one had come into this area.

"I don't know what to feel, to be honest. It's a good thing that I know his true value now. I know that what he said this morning was utter rubbish. He doesn't care about me, and I don't think he ever has."

Well, I knew it. It was not a case of, I think, anymore. He'd said straight out that he didn't like me. There was a bonus to this little bit of nonsense though, I had an idea for the future and it was something that created a lot of amusement in my mind.

Lifting from the wall, I paced a few steps of the pathway while Anzide remained leaning against the wall, being a good listener.

"That though, that was something else. It sounds like it's been going on for a while. Everything makes perfect sense, though. Audrey gives me a hard time, and Kannon sticks up for me and becomes a solid friend. He pushes harder on it and forms a relationship. Niko warned me. He said not to trust anyone. I hate being this stupid."

"You are not stupid," Anzide grumbled.

"But I am, don't you see? I fell for it even though Niko warned me. Even Brad warned me. Jeez, even you said it. Repeatedly too. My hormones got in the way. They took over and controlled everything. Do you know what the worst part of all this is?"

Anzide warily shook his head.

"Kannon was pissed off that I am an Eternal and if we'd had sex, he would be a dead vampire walking. That means that he was prepared to go that far just to get Drakkus what he wants."

"I think you will find that he will benefit just as much as Drakkus will."

"That's hardly the point."

"Oh, I understand, Evelyn and I wholeheartedly agree that Kannon is a monster. Aren't you glad you can see him for his true worth now?"

I nodded. Anzide held out his hands, pulling me closer.

"I am glad that you were my first."

"Ditto," he murmured, leaning in for a kiss.

"You never misbehaved with other Nephilim?"

"It was repeatedly told Nephilim were chaste, we were celibate. We were not to engage in any physical activity. I have to say, though, I do think they're missing out."

I giggled, kissing Anzide. With our arms wrapped around each other, we had the moment of our love and affection. It made us stronger, and for me, it repaired the pain in my heart.

Stepping back, I was ready to leave this place, but Anzide held my hand tight.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I shrugged, thinking about how I felt about this betrayal.

"I am angry. I am hurt. I feel lost. They're playing these horrible games, but they won't win. I've got an advantage up my sleeve now and I am going to roll with it. I am going to be the bigger person here. I'm not going to be some crying brat that complains that everyone is against her. I will take these photos, I will hand them over and I will keep the promise that I make to Harlwood. He will help me win this war, and when we're on the other side, I will continue to keep the worthy alliances because at this moment, he's the best option that I've got. I will reward him for that, and I will ensure that he knows that I appreciate what he's done for me. Unlike other people who in time will learn that they messed with the wrong person."

Giving Anzide's hand a tug, I flicked my head to the footpath.

"Come on, Brad will be worried."

It didn't take long to return to the property. I don't know what to think or feel about it at the moment. The rubble was making life difficult.

"It was a life defining moment,"

Brad looked at me, and I shrugged. Anzide was regaling him with the corridor incident first. He thought it would be more reassuring for Brad if it came from an observer.

They were seated at the dining table, and I was leaning against the counter with my juice.

"And they did it, right there in full view of anyone that would pass by?"

I nodded.

"Jeez," he hissed.

"No one passed by. I think everyone was in class."

"Still, a teacher could have walked by. What if they had visitors or parents?"

"I think you're focusing on the wrong part. Are you avoiding the part about Jess?"

Brad shook his head.

"I'm not upset. It was one night and all she did was bite me. I don't care that she's not really interested, I'm more worried that they had access to the house all night long."

"They didn't find anything. I've got my battle plan for Kannon's new plan, so all you need to worry about is getting that house back up before Niko's ready to emerge."

"But how can I trust anyone now? What if I hire a builder, and they're allowed into this place. Then what? Free access to everything?"

"I can help with that. Find a builder, and I'll check his mind. It's a sketchy process and risky, but it will give you the reassurance that you're looking for."

Brad pulled out a scrap of paper, flattening it on the table. It was a list of names and numbers.

"I rang the first guy, and he said to stop in sometime today before five."

"We can come with you. Evelyn has to do a little reconnaissance work for our new demon friend."

His gaze lifted to me with a heavy frown.

"You're doing this? You're actually going to make a deal with a demon?"

"Agreement."

"Same thing Evie. You've got the powers. Do a bit of training with Anzide and kill the vampires yourself. You don't need the demons' help."

"She needs more than a bit. Sit down, and I'll explain the predicament you're in."

Anzide gestured to the seat opposite, next to Brad. I sat down, and Anzide pulled the clean glasses from the counter. They snapped to the table with the juice bottle and a jug of water.

He poured a glass of water and juice, setting the two glasses in front of us.

"We have Niko and Beatrice represented by the water and the fruit juice."

Anzide pulled an empty glass over and filled it with a mixture of water and juice. Then set the other two glasses aside.

"Your mother, Victoria. The mixture works well, not as well as her parents individually but still enough. She died young, never reaching her full potential so we will never truly know how she would have coped."

Anzide tipped half the mixture into a fresh glass, then pushed the cup that represented my grandmother aside. His hand reached out to the counter, and the sugar flew across the small space.

"Edward Newton, your father," he said as he poured the sugar into the cup. "Human, not the same as the others, but still, it works. What you've got here is something that, by appearances, looks okay. Beneath the surface, it's right but it's wrong. It works, but it doesn't."

There were no cups left. Anzide took the ones that represented Niko, Beatrice, and Victoria and tipped them down the sink, returning with empty glasses. One was set aside, which I knew was me. Two remained, and Anzide poured the odd mixture into each.

"This is you and Nancy. As I said, right but wrong. This mixture works just like your body does. The humanity that is represented by the sugar, it has dissolved. That happened over time, short in this instance, a little longer in your own life."

"The sugar will dissolve in me?"

"No, the humanity in you will dissolve. What remains is unknown. It could be a mixture of the two or one could dominate over the other. You just have to wait for the sugar to dissolve, my friend."

"Right," Brad said with a heavy sigh.

Half of my mother's cup was poured into mine, then set aside. Brad was too busy looking at his cup, watching the sugar grains at the bottom.

"You cannot make it go any faster than what the laws of this world dictate," Anzide grumbled.

Brad huffed, then put the glass aside.

In Anzide's hand was my glass, wrapped around it as it sat on the table. His hand reached out, and the bottle of mustard was flung across the room. He turned it over and squeezed it into the glass.

"This is you,"

The yellow slop slid into the liquid.

"Absolutely, one hundred percent, not meant to be mixed with the other liquids in this glass. But, like your mother and your uncle, it looks as if it's okay. The mixture is spreading. It is meshing into its surroundings. It appears to work. Where is the problem here, Evelyn?"

"It's mixed into the other liquids."

He nodded. With a fling of his hand, all but one of the glasses were sent to the sink. The table between us was empty except for the one that represented me.

"You have to wait for the sugar to dissolve, then the three remaining properties within you will duke it out for supremacy. The juice and the water will struggle, and, in the end, they will lose the battle because nothing will beat the mustard. It is powerful, it is strong but it is nothing until the battle is over. So long as the others remain, it will just be a portion of a mixture."

"So, can she assist the mustard?"

Anzide smiled as he pushed the glass to Brad.

"Please, assist the mustard."

Brad looked at the glass with a deeply confused frown.

"I don't know how. I can't."

"No one can. No one except time."

The cup of the grossly odd mixture was sent to the sink with the other cups.

"This is why she needs help from an external source. Evelyn has to wait for her body to figure out what's going on. She has only just turned eighteen, barely a blip in her Eternal life. She is an adult to humans but an oddity to the Eternals. We are created, we are born, and we age extremely fast. Take me, for instance. My childhood, as humanity calls it, was a week in your timeline. I was born in the early hours of the morning, and by the end of the first day, I was walking and stringing a few words together. I have memories of my mother helping me walk, talking to me and talking back to her. The next day, I was having full conversations with my parents, running around the house. I even dressed myself. Day three was the beginning of my education in the world of the Nephilim and what was expected of me in this life. Day four, and I was classed as a teenager if compared to this world. I was sent out for work experience with another Nephilim. From there, it progressed until day seven, where I was sent out into the world to do my duty and beg for forgiveness for the crime of my parents daring to love each other."